All-Time Favorite Veggie Burgers

Satisfy your appetite for a great-tasting veggie burger that's easy to make and more healthfully prepared when you use your own wholesome ingredients. Find our favorite recipes here.

Satisfy your appetite for a great-tasting veggie burger that's easy to make and more healthfully prepared when you use your own wholesome ingredients. Find our favorite recipes here.

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Cooking Light

June 10, 2010

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Light and Tasty Veggie Burgers

Veggie burgers can be made with chickpeas, black beans, white beans, potatoes, lentils, and pretty much any other vegetable that can be mashed and formed into a patty. And made right, they're delicious—but fragile. Even with binders like breadcrumbs, oats, egg whites, or farina, veggie burger patties tend to be delicate things that don't fare well on the grill. Unless you're using whole portobello mushrooms as the "patties," you're likely to have more success cooking your veggie burgers on the stovetop or under the broiler, then flipping them very carefully when the time comes. Commercial patties tend to be more robust, of course, but we're talking about homemade versions here. Click through the slides to find recipes for our all-time favorite veggie burgers.

Mushroom Lentil Burgers

Make homemade veggie burgers in a snap with precooked lentils. We like the black beluga variety from Archer Farms, with no added salt. Brown lentils can be substituted but tend to be more moisture-dense and may require additional breadcrumbs to help bind the burgers.

Berkeley Veggie Burger

Buffalo Quinoa Burgers

Make your own veggie burgers—they come together quickly and easily with the help of a food processor. You can form the patties ahead of time: Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to two days. They’ll end up holding their shape even better in the pan. If serving to kids or folks with sensitive palates, you can omit the hot sauce mixture and simply serve the patties on buns with the usual burger condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayo. Serve with veggies and ranch dressing for a fun and lighter alternative to fries.

Black Bean-Quinoa Burger

Veggie burgers are, for many, the go-to low-fat option for dinner in a snap. The frozen-food aisle is packed with different varieties made from chickpeas, black beans, soy, and quinoa. But look beyond the main ingredient, and you'll find that most are highly processed, loaded with sodium, and made with a laundry list of ingredients (one popular brand tallied 38) that go well beyond veggies, including things like isolated proteins. They're usually quite small, too—about 2.5 ounces—leaving you hungry again in a few hours. Our mission? Use whole ingredients to create a simple, tasty homemade veggie burger with staying power.

Our Homemade Quick Black Bean Burger

Serve these quick black bean burgers on a bun with a hot sauce-spiked ketchup, spinach leaves, tomato slice, a slice of Monterey Jack cheese, avocado slices, and onion for a tasty and nutritious entrée.

Portobello Burgers

Because of the portobello’s firm texture, these burgers will please both vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike. Half of a roasted bell pepper is stirred into mayonnaise for the sandwich spread. Use the leftover bell pepper as a pizza topping, or in a salad or a pasta dish.

Grilled Lemon-Basil Tofu Burgers

Tofu makes a filling and tasty burger! This vegetarian protein source is full of heart-healthy fats and, like all veggies, is cholesterol-free. Marinating the tofu slices helps them acquire a golden crust when grilled while olive-garlic mayonnaise on the sandwich adds a Mediterranean flavor. Serve with grilled asparagus.

Corn and Two-Bean Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup

The sweet-smoky-spicy ketchup in this recipe adds a decidedly Southwestern flavor, and also pairs quite well with sweet potato fries. Other toppings, though, could take the patties in a totally different direction: Try a spicy brown mustard or pesto mayonnaise.

Vegetable Burgers

These tender vegetable patties are meant to be soft. We suggest preparing through step two the day before since the mixture is easier to work with once its has been refrigerated overnight and the flavors have had time to marry. Serve with Fiery Tomato Chutney.